Fishing At Baxter Fishing at Baxter State Park members of Boy Scout Troop #201 have had some great experiences this summer. Their next outing is this weekend.

2007 was a busy year for the Scouts in Troop 201 with a lot of camping, hiking and advancement.� Almost everyone in the troop advanced at least one rank and accomplished several requirements towards the next rank.� We also witnessed the ultimate achievement, the earning of the Eagle Scout rank.� This�was accomplished by Jon Campbell earlier this year.

Over the past several months, Scouts, led by Jon Wallace and Tom Fogarty went camping and hiked trails around�Mount Battie and Gulf Hagas in preparation of the ultimate assault on Mount Katahdin with Scouts from Troop 691 in Brunswick.� Weather conditions prevented our troop from making it to the summit that day, but a good time was had by all.�

Several Scouts attended Camp Hinds under the leadership of Kevin Fitzpatrick and Bob Marcus this summer.��Merit badges were earned by the Scouts as well as completion of rank requirements.��Three brave souls earned their polar bear swim patches (Hank Fitzpatrick, David Marcus and Kevin Fitzpatrick).� To earn this patch, it was up at the crack of dawn and jump in the lake�every day you are in camp (rain or shine!).�

The Troop also participated in the district wide Camporee that occurred at the Union Fair Grounds.� It was a wet weekend, but the Scouts made the best of it participating in skill and fun activities with the other area troops.� Our boys took second place in the bed frame race!� The cow barns provided much needed cover.�

A common theme this year was rain.� I don't think we took one trip where rain did not fall at one time or another.� I'll give the boys credit, they never gave up and kept coming back for more.� We are due for nice weather.� Our luck has got to change!

Dick Morris gave several presentations on outdoor skills, camping skills, foil cooking�and my favorite, Dutch oven cooking.� He has been a tremendous asset to the troop and the Scouts enjoy his presentations very much.� Besides all that, they are usually very tasty!

Troop 201 has a lot of activities planned over the next several months.� The�next campout will be Saturday, Sept. 29 and Sunday, Sept. 30.� The game plan is to do this some place local so scouts can join us after soccer and work on camping/cooking merit badge requirements and/or rank requirements that have something to do with cooking/camping.�

October's campout is the statewide Jamboree, October 19-21 at Oxford Plains Fairground.� Demonstrations, exhibitions, hands-on FUN including climbing walls, laser shooting, geocache and much, much more! �Saturday night there will be a concert and fireworks!� We also plan on�working on our First Aid Merit Badge and First Aid rank requirements during October-November following the Jamboree.� We will�finish off with a campout that will conclude with reviewing what we have learned by responding to mock accidents.� November 16-18.

�Troop 201 meets every Thursday night between 6:30 and 8 p.m.� All interested boys between the ages of 11 to 18 are welcome.� It's never too late to join!� For more information you can call Mary Kay Blatz at 882-4008 or Bob Marcus at 882-9514.